


Peter Parker's Playlist

by visionsofus



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: #Irondad, #SpiderSon, But also happy times, Found Family, Lots of Angst, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Tony Stark, Stark Industries, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:21:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/visionsofus/pseuds/visionsofus
Summary: Hello!Welcome to Peter Parker's Playlist, what will (hopefully ) be a collection of short fics, each centred around a song from Peter's fictional Playlist.All chapters will likely include irondad/spiderson in some shape or form because it's what I love to write! A synopsis and the relevant tags, along with any warnings, will be featured at the beginning of each chapter. I do hope you enjoy!I don't know how this will be received, but if you do like these stories then please feel free to request a song and I will see what I can do. Existing songs can be found in this playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/04iUpO0wm3OuNGToYw9VqA?si=ZTgH6eV-RVKRvMY1VyQ20gI've never been much good at writing short fiction (I'm more of a 'let's see where it goes' and then get confused when my works end up at 100k because I decided not to cap them) so I thought I'd give this a shot. It could suck but I'm trying anyway - new year new me?Happy reading xx
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. contents page

**Author's Note:**

> here's to hoping this isn't a complete flop!

# 1\. I'll run the risk (of being intimate with brokenness) 

Track: Son by _Sleeping at Last_

Themes: post IW but pre Endgame Tony Stark, mourning, Irondad, spiderson, looking back on home videos, Morgan Stark learning about Peter. 

# 2\. You've made this home a place that I don't know 

Track: A Place That I Don't Know by Odette 

Themes: pre IW Peter Parker, May has an accident, Peter feeling hopeless, Tony to the rescue, grief, irondad, spiderson 


	2. I'll run the risk (of being intimate with brokenness)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the song Son by Sleeping At Last 
> 
> Having discovered Morgan has been looking into who Peter Parker was, Tony reflects on the past and the kid he lost by way of humorous old videos of the two goofing around. 
> 
> "He'd always imagined that Morgan and Peter would have gotten on like a house on fire (Tony was sure that their combined troublemaking likely would have set a house on fire)"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: major character death reference (not explicit) 
> 
> themes: Irondad, spiderson (duh), Tony Stark is such a dad, mourning. 
> 
> words: 3324
> 
> I don't even know if this is good but its real late and I was feeling emotional (does this song make you want to cry or is it just me?) so here we are. Let me know what you think :)

Morgan Stark's range of excuses for why she couldn't go to bed made her father proud.

First, a complex 'surgery' _had_ to be performed on a teddy bear (the terminology for which Morgan had managed to pick up from one of Pepper’s book downstairs). Next her bed was wobbly, so father and daughter spent half an hour searching for the precise picture book that would level it once placed under the end of the bed. She finished the night off with an in-depth conversation about whether the birds would be warm enough outside at night-time. Afterall, it might not be winter, but it was still chilly outside, and birds had no nice warm lake house to retreat into once night fell.

These concerns were paramount to Morgan as she talked her father through her concerns. She had spent the day coaxing a sparrow down to the porch with a plate of stale breadcrumbs. She'd hid off to the side, admiring the small brown bird as it pecked away at her offering. Naturally, she was very concerned for his well-being.

"The birds will be fine," Tony assured his daughter, tucking her in beneath her comforter.

"But-"

"No buts," Tony said sternly. He raised an eyebrow, "unless you'd like to join the sparrows?"

He joked but Morgan frowned. "If Peter doesn't come back tomorrow morning it'll be all your fault."

Tony felt his heart lurch, a concerning feeling considering the operations he'd had. His breath hitched in his throat as he struggled to speak. “What?”

"What?" Morgan imitated back, smiling.

"Peter?" Tony asked, looking down at his hands which were braced against Morgan's bed and trying to keep his cool even as his head jumped to all the possibilities.

"Yeah," Morgan said, her eyes growing sleepy, "that's the sparrow’s name."

Tony relaxed and tried to put on a believable smile. "Peter the sparrow,” he sighed in relief, “you can see him tomorrow."

"If he hasn't frozen," Morgan murmured and rolled over, closing her eyes. "Night-night."

"Good night," Tony whispered and closed the door lightly behind him, leaving it open enough to allow for a sliver of light through. Morgan didn't like waking in darkness any more than Tony did.

He felt foolish for thinking for a second that Morgan meant his Peter. But she must have gotten the name from somewhere else because Tony was very sure that she didn't know about _his_ Peter.

Now that Morgan was older Pepper, who was currently in the city dealing with work, was trying to encourage Tony to tell her of Peter. Something about keeping the kid’s memory alive she said. In many ways Tony did wanted to. He'd always imagined that Morgan and Peter would have gotten on like a house on fire (Tony was sure that their combined troublemaking likely _would_ have set a house on fire). But now they’d never have the opportunity to meet, _ever._ And the thought of reliving all those memories made his heart thud painfully and his throat sting.

Tony cleared his throat and walked down the stairs. He continued through the living room and to a set of rooms furthest from the door. Tony didn't even spare a glance for the room which held what remained of his past identity. Sealed behind glass were cabinets of servers and trays containing parts that would probably never be used again. There were various machines which hummed deep into the night, keeping the lights working and maintaining the various forms of security that bordered their property. He’d set it all up when Pepper had first told him she was pregnant.

Naturally the whole room was child proof, but he was beginning to realise it was somewhat Tony-proof too. He never wanted to go inside nowadays. Never wanted to see the life he'd had before. He was content with this version of things, five years on. A quiet life. A life he’d never really imagined himself having.

Tony settled himself in a chair at the living room table, an old holotable which now doubled as the dinner table. He brushed Morgan’s crayons away, admiring her drawings with a fond smile. He shuffled them together into a pile and moved them to the side, but not before a particular drawing caught his eye.

Red and blue. The black eight-legged silhouette of a spider, well it was more of a scratched black circle with eight lines, but the symbol was unmistakable. Tony pulled the leaf of paper from the pile and found himself face to face with a crude drawing of what _had_ to be Peter. The colours, the logo, it was _him_ even if there was little likeness to the real thing. But his daughter didn’t have to be an artist to convey the point.

"Friday," Tony said, voice stern and controlled. It was easier to be angry than feel anything else that might be lingering deep in his heart. 

"Yes, boss?"

"Has Morgan used the holotable for anything today?" Tony asked.

"Yes, about 10:30 this morning," Friday said bringing up the holotable's recent commands history, "it was while you were clearing the garage out."

"And what did she access?"

"She first looked at old videos of your suits," Tony rolled his eyes skyward, his early prototype testing contained a fair bit of swearing, Pepper wouldn't be happy if their 5-year-old started picking up his bad habits this early. "She kept looking through old footage until she came across the Mark XLVII."

"More specific, Fri," Tony said gesturing for the AI to continue, "bring up exactly what she watched."

"These videos boss," Friday said and brought to life a line of videos sourced from the analytics system of the Mark XLVII.

Tony motioned clicking on one and the video expanded to full screen. He pressed play.

The camera was facing the ceiling of a lab somewhere in the past, in a life that Tony had spent years trying to separate himself from, if only to relieve his mind from the crippling grief and guilt. He could hear his past self humming in the video. In the corner of the screen he saw his forehead lean in to peer at some of the mechanics of the suit. 

_"Mr Stark, Mr Stark!"_

Present Tony’s elbow slipped from the arm rest of the chair he was sat in.

_"You won't_ believe _what I just did!"_

That voice.

It felt like a kick to the chest. He was winded.

Past Tony dropped his screwdriver. The clang it made against the metal bench top in the video echoed that feeling in current Tony's chest. _"Who let you in here?"_

A pause. _"Friday?"_ A hesitant response coloured with the sound of a smile. Tony could practically image it, try as he might not to. He wanted to reach up and pause the video but something in him kept watching. It was the first time in years that he’d heard that voice. His eyes searched the screen, waiting for that face. They always forgot to tell you that, the way your mind loses track of what those who have passed look like if you don’t recall them often enough. One year after the Snap, Tony had woken and realised he couldn’t quite picture Peter’s face. He’d heard it happened with other people grieving, but never thought it would happen that quickly, or to _him_ for that matter _._

_"That's funny, kid, cause I told Friday to not let anyone disturb me."_

_"Well, Friday likes me, so she opened the door."_

_"Sure, sure.”_ It was the grumbling of a man who didn’t think he had the time for the whims of a teenager. What Tony wouldn’t give to have Peter complain about one more physics test, or the high school bully who wouldn’t cut him a break or the fact that his aunt was that much closer to figuring out his identity.

_"I just did the coolest thing!"_

Past Peter began prattling off about a school project and Tony could see it in his own expression then, the subtle fondness and the slow smile that graced the face of his past. Current time Tony let out a choked noise and concentrated fiercely on the ceiling for a beat if only to stop his eyes stinging.

"Shall I stop the recording, boss?" Friday asked hesitantly.

"N-" the word died in Tony's throat, so he tried again, "no, play the next one."

The scene changed and this time they were outside in the once familiar streets of New York.

_"Best pizza in New York,"_ Tony heard himself say as Peter came into shot. The kid was looking at him in doubt. _"You don't believe me? Y'know I used to have pieces of this pizza_ flown _to me specially?"_

_"That's a little much, don’t you think? Your carbon footprint is bad enough."_

_"Not for this pizza."_

Tony continued to watch the video play out. They were sat by a window now, pizza in front of them.

_"So, tell me more about this argument with May."_ A slice of pizza was gestured in front of the camera. Peter's shoulders slumped as he poked at his own slice and turned his attention to the road outside with the weary eyes of someone who had seen more, who had more worries, than any child should have at that age.

_"She just worries."_

_"I'll talk to her,"_ Tony's voice was muffled by a slice of pizza.

_"Oh no, Mr Stark you don't have to do that."_

_"Kid, please, it's Tony. And I can’t have my best intern slacking off at work because his aunt is being a bit overbearing.”_

Peter hadn’t just been his _best intern;_ Tony knew that now and wished he’d had the chance to tell the kid that. To explain how proud he _was_ , had been? God what tense was he even supposed to think in? The emotions he felt were here, in the present, but Peter was in the past and that was where he would stay. So even if Tony did feel proud, Peter would never know it, never hear it, never again.

In the present Tony dragged a tired hand over his face. "Next video, Fri."

They were still in New York, just several stories higher. The footage had a jarred quality to it that lead Tony to believe they were in the air. This was confirmed by the shot of Peter swinging into frame the next second.

_"Slow down, kid!"_

_"There's no speed limits in the sky, Mr Stark."_

_"There is when you are a fourteen-year-old."_

_"Fifteen!"_

Distracted by their conversation, Tony had to narrowly save Peter from slamming face first into the glass windows of an office building. The camera tilted downwards to show Tony's suit-enclosed hand holding the spiderling by his web.

_"Mr Stark,"_ the kid whined, _"I had it under control!"_

_"Tell that to the lady in that building who just spilt her coffee because she thought you were going to crash through the glass."_

_"Oops."_

There were at least ten other videos that Morgan had accessed. Thankfully, nothing serious was in them, no footage of missions Tony had brought Peter on. Most of it was goofing around or Peter bothering him at the lab. But that was the important stuff.

Tony paused before the next home-video could begin. "So, she watched all of these? Why didn't she tell me about it?"

He hadn't been directly asking Friday, but she answered anyway. "She asked me about him."

"And?" Tony asked trying to keep his cool, but his emotions were being pulled in directions they hadn't gone in a long time and it was difficult to maintain control. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that Peter Parker was a superhero named Spider-Man, like her Dad, who helped people."

"That's it?"

"I told her that if she wanted to know more, you were the person to ask as you two had been very close."

"Ok, cool, I can work with that." Tony wasn't sure whether it was relief he was feeling or if part of him wished that Friday had explained it all if only so that he wouldn't have to. He'd spent so long burying all these memories that having them brought up was overwhelming. But Morgan was sleeping now, so it became tomorrow’s problem. "Just keep playing them."

The videos cycled through and once he finished the ten that Morgan had seen earlier that day, he went back further to videos of the kid at his lab, them at Stark Industries functions (where Peter's cover had been 'the new intern'), some videos taken by Peter at the Stark’s residence with him and Pepper, a few occasions when they had caught up for pizza or other fast food and sat atop buildings watching the skyline and talking about what being an Avenger meant. He watched the kid age, become more mature and more dedicated to his alternate identity, become burdened by the task before him and the growing pressure of the future. He got into trouble almost constantly. There were videos of Tony scolding him along with the one time he'd really had a go at the kid after he'd almost got himself and a hundred other people killed on a ferry. From then on Peter always tried to take care of his mistakes and when he couldn’t Tony would be there to help. Sometimes he regretted getting so angry at Peter then, but he knew that anger had been warranted and it was what the kid had needed to hear, no matter how harsh. But it did throw things out of balance, make Peter less likely to come to him for help than Tony would have liked. It had taken years for them to reach a sense of familiarity. They’d just reached a good point when it had all fallen apart.

"Da'?"

Tony jumped; he hadn't heard Morgan's feet padding down the stairs at his back.

"Maguna." Tony stood, drawing her nickname out as he frowned. "What happened to bedtime?"

"I couldn't sleep." Morgan was twisting her fingers before her and smiling, perhaps letting her have a juice pop after dinner had been too much sugar. Pepper didn't usually let her, but Tony struggled to say no to his daughter.

Tony sighed and picked her up. He returned to the chair at the holotable and sat her in his lap.

"Why couldn't we sleep tonight?" He asked, brushing her hair away from her face. “Is it still about the birds?”

Morgan didn't answer and instead leant her head against his shoulder.

"Who's that?" She asked in a small voice indicating the video that flickered in mid-air a foot from them. It was currently frozen in a candid frame of Peter laughing that tugged at Tony’s heartstrings.

"A good kid," Tony said into her hair, kissing the top of Morgan’s head. "He was called Peter and he is one of the best people I know." _Knew._

"Why haven't I met him?"

The question was an unbearable one with an answer Tony didn't trust himself to voice. Tony wasn't sure whether parents were supposed to show that side of their emotions. If Pepper were here, she would know what to say. She _always_ knew what to say.

"Well," Tony said after a few moments, "you two never got to meet, you only just missed each other actually, which is sad because you two would have been like siblings."

"Is he my brother?"

"No," Tony said shaking his head and smiling. "He was a rascal and a troublemaker just like you," he tapped Morgan's nose as he spoke, "so _like_ a brother but not quite."

Morgan hummed, reaching a small hand out she pressed play on the video that Tony had paused. He wondered at how she had figured out how to use the table because he certainly hadn't showed her.

_“Mr Stark,”_ past Peter laughed, “ _I swear that wasn’t me!”_

Tony had lost track of what they were talking about. _“And you expect me to believe it was the robot? I called him Dum-E for a reason, be careful that doesn’t become your nickname!”_

_“You wound me!”_ Peter mocked putting a hand to his forehead as though about to faint.

“ _You have nothing to worry about,”_

At Pepper’s voice Morgan looked at Tony with an excited smile.

“ _Tony couldn’t shut up about you last night, the board members are excited to see what you do in the future.”_

That stopped Peter joking but the smile was still there. Tony was sure that it was just the recording but he thought he saw something in the kid’s eyes, something like hope or dreams or the potential of possibility for the future. That light, so bright, had been cruelly snuffed out.

Tony didn’t realise his eyes were watering.

The pair didn’t move for a long time as the videos cycled through, countless short clips of Peter Parker goofing around while Tony tried to maintain his responsible adult image that had never been that convincing in the first place. If his past self could see where he was now.

That was where Pepper Potts found them when she arrived back from New York early the next morning. The mechanic and his young daughter who’d fallen asleep to the voices of a man from another time and the young son who’d wanted so desperately to prove his worth. Friday could have turned the videos off but instead she’d kept them playing, she understood the loss her creator felt.

_“Y’know,”_ Peter’s voice said into the air which was now silent save the quiet breaths of the two dreamers, “ _one of these days you’ll have kids and you’ll forget all about this stuff.”_

_“I doubt it kid.”_   
  


_“No, no I’m sure,”_ Peter smiled in the video but there was some sadness to his words, “ _but by then I’ll probably be even richer than you, my tech conglomerate will_ totally _be bigger, and Spider-Man will be more well-known than Iron Man. Also, I’ll have made more suits than you.”_ His words were drenched in sarcasm.

_“Sure thing, kid.”_ On the screen Tony fondly ruffled the kid’s hair. Peter grimaced and ducked out of the way but cast his mentor a genuine smile.

_“And_ if _I do have kids one day,”_ past Tony said, more serious now, “ _big_ if, _I promise I won’t forget about you. If anything, I’m hoping they’ll be a little bit like you.”_ Tony prattled on as though he might hide the sincere compliment amongst jokes.

Pepper yawned into the back of her hand as she switched the video off, it had been a long night for her but apparently a longer one for the two in the chair. She fetched a throw blanket and gently lay it over her husband and daughter, not wanting to move them this early. Tony shifted slightly as the lake house returned to the quiet once more after hours of Peter’s familiar voice echoing throughout the living room. Pepper smiled fondly and leant down to press a kiss to her husband’s forehead. He’d kept his promise, he’d never forgotten the kid and he never would. No one ever realised how deep everything went with Tony, no one except herself, Pepper suspected. For her everything with Tony could be seen on the surface, especially in the last few years. He’d grown less afraid of feeling, but it had taken him months to even look at the news again. Those first few months had been difficult, _so_ difficult. Morgan had been a saving grace. Now he was here, running the risk with being intimate with that same brokenness again and Pepper couldn’t help being proud at how far he had come, how far they had all come. And the journey would continue, and perhaps never end, but if that was the case she didn’t care. As long as they were all together, there was no limit on what the future might bring.


End file.
